ICMR-Bharat Biotech To Fast Track COVID-19 Vaccine Trial, Plan Launch By August 15

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India, 3 July 2020 2:48 PM GMT

Editor : Shubhendu Deshmukh |

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ICMR has directed the pharmaceutical company as well as principal investigators of medical colleges to fast track the clinical trials, so that the vaccine can be launched by August 15.

A letter issued by Dr Balram Bhargava, Director General, the Indian Council Of Medical Research reveals plan to launch India's COVID-19 vaccine 'COVAXIN' developed in collaboration with Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech Limited (BBIL) by August 15.

It is the first indigenous vaccine being developed by India and is one of the top priority projects, and is being monitored at the topmost level of the Government.

"The vaccine is derived from a strain of SARS-CoV-2 isolated by ICMR-National Institute of virology. Pune- ICMR and BBIL are jointly working for the preclinical as well as clinical development of this vaccine," the letter further read.

As of now, the medical body has asked 12 institutes fasten up their clinical trials of the vaccines, to enable the subject enrollments by the first week of July.

"You have strictly advised to fast track all approvals related to the initiation of the clinical trial and ensure that the subject enrolment is initiated no later than July 7, 2020. And non-compliance will be viewed very seriously. Therefore, advised to treat this project on the highest priority and meet the given timelines without any lapse," the letter read.

According to the Indian Express, the other 12 institutes include:

King George Hospital Visakhapatnam
University of Health Science, Rohtak
AIIMS Ansari, Nagpur
AIIMS Phulwarisharif, Patna
Jeevan Rekha Hospital, Belagavi, Karnataka
Gillurkar Multispeciality Hospital, Nagpur
Rana Hospital, Rail Vihar Medical College Road, Gorakhpur
SRM Medical College Hospital and Research Centre, Tamil Nadu
Nizam Institute of Medical Science. Pungutta, Hyderabad
Dr E Venkata Rao, B 704, Palm Heights Shampur, Orissa
Prakhar Hospital, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh
Dr Sagar Vivek Redkar, Consultant Physician, Mumbai

Last week, the pharmaceutical company had received approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to conduct phase I and II human clinical trials.

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Writer : Devyani Madaik

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